Silo door fitting



Aug. 10, 1943. F. J. VAN COTT ET AL 7 2,326,583

SILO DOOR FITTING Filed Sept. 29, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 J2 J3 J2 F. J. VAN COTT ET AL Aug. 10, 1943.

SILO DOOR FITTING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 29, 1941 C0279. 60 77/ Juan/("vii -w -tact with the ensilage within the silo.

,staves making up the bodyoi Patented Aug, 19, 1943 S LQLD FITTING s Frank J. Van Cott andLeon J. Van Qott; Una'dilla, N. Y. a

Application Septernher 29, 19h, Serial n 412 333 (c1; zit-+1.4)

13 Claims.

Our invention relates to silos of the type usually found on farms for storage of corn'and similar ensilage. f Y

One object of our inventionis to 'provide a new and improved silo and hardware for silo construction which is simple in design, permitting easy erection by persons who may not he skilled mechanics.

.Another object of our invention is to provide suitable hardware for silo constructioniwhich,

when in place on the silo, will not deteriorate under the varied weather and temperature con ditions which exist over a period of years of use on a farmQnorfrom theefiect of juices fromr vthe ensilage.

Still another object of our invention is to provide hardware for silo structures which has at maximum strength for the use to which it is put but wherein the amount of metal has loeen :reduced to a relative minimum; it being further among the objects to so: construct the silo hardware that no. metal is allowed to come into jcon- Also among the objects of our invention is to provide hardware for silo construction-which is adapted particularly tofix thewidth of the doorway so that it' does not vary withchanges in the season or atmospheric conditions which would have a tendency to swell or contact the the silo. p

A still further object of our invention is to provide a removable door rod for thesilo door which can be locked in place but whichiseasily removed by manipulation of a cam device at the sides of the door, the door hardware being so constructed that the rod spanning the door, together with the circumferential tie rod, jcooplerate with a fitting used to join the two in'such va way that the tendency'for the fitting to twist when excessive pressure is applied, is greatlyreduced: a

With these and other objects in view, our invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of our device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set'forth, pointed out in our claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a partial view of the lower porticnof asiloof-the type on which silo hard- Ware herein described finds ready use; s

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of one type of fitting used to join a circumferential tie rod with a rod spanning the silo doorway;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal view takenfon'the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

modified type .of door fitting for a jrernovalole floor rod; V .Figure 6 is a to view of the fitting shown in I Figure '7 is an end iew partly in section show: ing the relative positions of a' circumierential tie rod and a removable door rod priorito lock+ ing the door rod in place, and v j Figure 8 is a view s'irriilar to Figure 7 Showing the relative positions of the ,circ unferential tie rod and the door rod has heenlo licd inplace.

This'is a continuation inpart o'f'ou'r co pendin pp i at Ser a N assess nledgoc be tual gdeteriorationxof Lthe silo structure, becomes apparentla fter a period of yea the accompanying drawings, we have used pose of fining the, width o f 10, 1938, ffor a jSilo" construction.

Various kinds of silothardware have been designed and some have beendevoted tothe purl oorw y to as nearly a constant dimension as has been practical, TFrequentiy, the hardware used' has; been part or other of t can, comes in contact with theensilage where it is.quite aptto become extende'd around the door 'jamb so, that some {rusty and fconse'quently rapidlydeteriorate? In otherjcases the fittings comprising the hardwaregwhile'pr oviding (a means of coupling together the ends} of circumferential tie rods; have not .talgen .intoconsideration the tendency or fittings to twist when theirods are .placedgunder pressure and the .prior art has Lfailed' to recogfnize that this constant tendency tott'wistfl and untwi st as the silo staves swell and contract with changing moisture and temperatureconlditions is one of the factors which causes even- .the reference character S to indicate generally a silo andF the foundation therefor. 1 The silo S isqcomposed of a plurality of vertically arranged gstaves lgl' which form. a cylindrical wall land terminate in @QQ Y-iamb mem sJ5 b wee Figure is a cross section taken on the line 7 4-4 of Figure 2; r

Figure 5 is a side'elevational view showing .a

see amrod a l I whichdoors is are in tinted;v I he staves liih ave tongue and gro o ve joints at their side edges 19.8 s w i Ei er :3 an ar erid d .-,t. ee h. r 1 r Extending around the silos are hoops .-l=5 Qform ing circumferentialltie rods, and door- "ont'rods [8. These are connected together tank slugs T and door fittings Dc Door fittings Dare casta ings, or the lil e,;ha yti 11g short vperforated bosses l! for receiving the ends of circumferential tie rods H5 and elongated bosses lB'having recesses ita fqrreceivi fl the ends'oi .the door-front rods l iihe od 15, terme q r-front r .door'mds;

; are in practice not connected directly tothe door but rather to the door jambs on opposite sides and merely extend ingfrontof thedoor. is supporting element 69 108,3 1 Ja ainSt' the edge .of the D aw E uts. and 122 on the door eds res ectively n a e i-t en of the bosses l8 and lTtodraw the hoop assembly tight around the staves of the silo. The door fitting D are secured to the door jamb members '12 by bolts 23 and to the adjacent staves lo'by'short nails 24. Bolt heads may be recessed as at 26 on the inner wall and covere with a protective coating 28*.

the top downwardly toward the bottom, there Heretofore door fittings of the general character thus far described have been used, but when there is sufficient swelling of the staves L to entirely take up the space within the silo hoops, the exceptionally great strain applied to the tie rods that extend from one door fitting D around the staves to the other door fitting D, tends tov draw on the bolts 23 and nails 24 and move the door jamb elements [2 relative to the door fittings D in a direction toward each other, thus decreasing the distance between the door jambs, This would so tighten the door I3 thatit would be extremely dificult to loosen it when desired. The excessive pull might also tend to break the door fittings D.

Our present improvement resides in the formation of a flange 25 (see Figures 2, 3 and 4) on the back of the door fittings D. The flange is vertically arranged and may be embedded into the outside surface of the door jamb members or the adjacent staves. Preferably, it is counterl2, which edge is notched at 26 for this purpose. The flange 25 being mounted in this position is spaced from the door opening and the edge l2 of the door jamb member at the openingis smooth and unobstructedas shown in Figure'3,'-so that V the door will fit tightly throughout its'entire height. Also, the flange and all the door hardware structure is"removed from contact with the juices of the ensilage. By'being embedded in the wood of the wall, the flange reduces the tendency of the front lug to twist to a minimum and the flange serves as: 'a reinforcing means against breakage of the lug due to strains thereon.

'Imbedding of the flange in the silo wall also increases the amount of surface against the wood of the wall to counteract the pull on the tie "ods.

Considering the operation. of the flange 25, it will be obvious that the force of any swelling of thestaves IOis counteracted by the two staves adjacent the'door iamb members If by'pressure of theiryedges against the adjacent faces ofithe flanges 25. Thus'the flanges serve as a much more effective means to prevent shifting of the door-:jamb members [2 toward each other than the mere use of the bolts '23 and the nails 24 as heretofore practised. Since the flange 25'prevents twisting of the fitting, the trouble heretofore experienced of the tie rods bending short at the ends of the fittings when tightened, has

been eliminated, and the consequent tendency.

is no undue strain on the remaining tie rods "due to removal of alternate rods across the door- As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the fitting consists of a body generally indicated by the character and is used to connect a circumferential tie rod 15 with a removable door front rod 36. As will be noted, there is a hole 31 extending through a boss 38 on the upper side o-fthe body for reception cfthe' circumferential tie rod i5 which is provided with athreaded end Wand a nut 40 for holding it in place. On the lower side of the tie rod there is an upwardly curved shelf 4| forming a rounded recess 42 for reception of the door front rod 36. It will be noted also that the door front rod has a threaded end 43 and a nut 44 on the threaded end so that it may be drawn up tightly in place when the silo is made ready for filling.

sunk in the outer edge of the door jamb member be large and the tie rods placed somewhat closely together. The removal of a removable door front rod positioned alternately with fixed door rods will in practically all cases be 'suflicient to make an opening large enough for a man to get inside of the silo. Moreover, the greatest strain which isplaced upon the circumferential tie rod and Thefitting 35 is also provided with a flange 45 running crosswise relative to the body of'the tting' and vertically with respect to the silo. The flange is similar to the flange described in connection with Figures 1 through 4 and is designed to be received in a corresponding recess 46 in a stave of the silo, as'for example at the edge of the stave shown in Figure 6. Contact of the flange with the stave has'a tendency not only to maintain the stave in a fixedposition but also assists in preventing twisting of the fitting when pressure is applied to the rods l5,and 36 in opposite directions. Bolts 41 and nuts 48 are shown The lug 58 is positionedso that it will bear against the tie rod l5 at a point spaced from the bodyof the fitting. On the lower side, th lug 5| is on a short extension 53 which-is in turn supported .jointly by an arm 54, at the lower side between the lug and the shelf 4|, and an arcuate arm 55. at the upper side of the body. The contacting faces of both lugs may be slightly curved so that they conform to the circumference of the tie rod and door rod, respectively.

In order to set the door front rod or door rod in place and lock it there while the silo is bein filled, there is provided a plateBD, a partial side view of which is shown in Figures 7 and 8, which has an aperture 6| within which the door front rod 36 is permanently positioned. A plate 60 is attached, one at eachendof the door front rod, so that one plate will lie outside of the righthand fitting and another plate will lie outside of the left-hand fitting. It should be noted, of course, that the fitting 35 described above is a right-hand fitting for the right-hand side of the door and that a corresponding left-hand fitting with the parts generally reversed is provided for th left-hand side of the door. In all operative details, the left-hand fittingisf the same as the right-hand fitting. i

plate? 61! is designedto lie against a aft the'outside end of the fitting so'that, inadm' a each; p'late'j as" s; provided vein; p 6 2 and" a? can face 63" which; in u e; lieszad ia cent a portion of thecircumferential-Herodt5: :At

c it? other end-'the'platefis'provi'dedwith acutout portion "B l-long enou'ghto permit insertion of the fiiihersoi the hand and acu'rve'd leg 65fai7ij1'l6 of tlie*recess'* which in: assembled position against the" outside wall of the sin The w. fiat face 66 non to its other functiohswith regard to locking thg-doorjrod in place; it: serves in effect as a washer for the 'nut at' the end ofithedoo'r'ro'd. x 11f operatingthe" removable" doorjrod', the silo structureis'builtup as usual with the permanent circumferential tie rods in place. Theaoe fie 3S"areilikeviise'attached to the outside of tlfdsiiowhllin their proper positions; ItiWill benched; of course; that; the ratings for the fie movable door rods' overli'ef primarily'the' door jam-b b utthat' a portion of each "may overlieithe silostave next adjacent the door xtending through the door' jamb may have the headsrece'ssd' into-"the staves and the recess blocked o've'r'with the bolt'heads covered .ofr'theinlsi'de of the silo soth'at' they do not come intoontact with the ensilagejuicesi' The nuts 48 secure the body ofthefittin'gtothe bolts thus inserted". When the fitting'is'iput into placeythe 'flange fi-is driven into the recess 46 so that the iiiside'sur'fafceoi the fitting "is fiush' with" the silo Wail 2' It Will 'be noted,

thi siio stavesand is" not exposed on the inside waiter the silo. p 3 The circumferential tie rods I5 are attached tcf'the fittings andthenuts 49' drawnup so that the round stave'body of the, silo is made firm.

" Next, a plate 69 isplace'd one at each "end of the door rod 36 and the nuts 44 threaded over the ends of th erod.- Then the operator, graspof course, that the ilange extends only approximately'half way through 'one'of the'plates 5!] in each hand, placesfthe having an aperture"for'rece'ption of a'circumferential tie rod,

After-thedoorrod '6 has "beenforced into the bottom of the rec'ess,'as shown in Figure& the Iockin'g'end fiiibears upon the under side of the 'eircmnfe'rentialrm l5 and eifectively locks the 'door' rod in place. In this position the leg 65 wiil rest'against the'outside wall of the" silo. The nuts 44 can then be tightened.

Thereafter, should: a person. attempt to climb the 'siloby using the door 1 rods" as rungs or a ladder; a pull upon'the removable door rod in an outwardly or in an upwardlydirection Will be resisted by the locking face as bearing against the 'tie'rod so that the' door rod cannot be inadvertently removed or loosened;

A fterthesilo has been filled andIit becomes necessary at some later date-to gain access, it is nces'sary'onlyfor an'operator to grasp the lower end of each ofa "pair ofpla'testii and lift them a ngularly -upward-to the 'position'shownin Figure 7:,- Whn the plz'ites have been thiis lifted upwardj-tlie= door rod-'61 becomes removed from its recessand perinit's thplatesand the attached door rod to be removed from the silo. Afterthis hasbeen accomplished,- the doorway of the silo 'oratingeffectsf oi theehsiiage j'ui ing of the fitting.

,ijiiii beiiiic reasediii siz ie? 1 itiihg-sisie at :tofthe silo. The door-front rod 33, of course,'-can he locked n i ce again. at anytime byma'riipu lejtionfof the'door front rod" and attac a'f stes fill-as has'bee'n describedaboveij o There hasthus bgen' do devices "which" are-r sinip'ie 1 n- ,th'eir' construction "and. operation .suflicien tQ'so that they may be readily: applied in the fieid ah a silo :'r

which will be capable" of'withs't'andm'g' the d et 1- 7 I y es anewhich also will fiperrnit' ready access to "the" silo, for necessa y unlo afdingo'r creatin v Somechahgesrnay befrnade injth'e-cozistr e; "tion and arrangement ,of'th D'aits of ourdevic'e Without de'partint;frontthe real spiritland erjpose of our invention; an'd it is'ouri'intention to c'over'by our claims"anfymodifiedforms oifstruc v ture; or use oi mechanical equivalents, whiehmay b'e reasonablyin'clud'ed withintheir's'cope; I

We claim as our'inventioni I I 1. In a silo structure; a door fitting comprising a body havingan 'ap rture'if'or reception of a air; 'ournferential tie rod, a re'lativel ffl'at connecting portion-for the outside wall of the extensions overlying a door Jamb memb an adjac tstaire member and s'ecu'ring" I01 attac the body to'th'e" silo, a lug on one of'said "eh ture positioned forf contact with said circu 'fe'iential 'tie rod; said b'od y having afreees's pa allel to saidap'erture' and spaced therefrom in a vertical direction for reception of a silb 'doorren'trod' anda lug -onthe other eirtensionspaced laterally from the recess and positioned for cone tact withthe door-front rod on' the side opposite from the corresponding contact locationbf said first lug with the circumferential tiero-djsaid lu 's engaging the respective rod's to minimize resi ancefto potenti horizontal axis {rid-a flange on the side of said body adjacent the s'i'lo extending part-wayinto the silo walradjacentth door janiomelnber,

said flange providingresistancefto potentialtwis'ti- 2; For use in ,a s'ta've' tank tructureFhaiqifig a door opening-,a doorfitting comprisinga'body opening recess on the bo'd'yflhav'ing its axisspa'ced I I laterally from and parallel to said aperturaffor reception of sneer-rimm d, a-platehavingpn aperture therein for reception of the door-front rod, said plate having a-normaloperative posi tion against a side door opening, said plate"having a notchfaton e end adapted to engage the circumferentialitie rod adjacent the fitting=-body during an initial closing operation 'anda carn face on the end of the plate adjacnt the r'e cessha'ving a'be a'r ing against the circumferential *tie rod when the door-front rod is in normal completed retaining position. I

3. For use in a silo structure; adoor' fitting comprising a bodyhav-ing a ho'rizontal aperture for reception of a circun'iierential'tie rod, 'arla"-, 'tiv'ely fiat contacting portion iorthe outside wall of the silo and-aside opening horizontal"recess on the body havingits 'airis'spa ed laterally froth andparallel tome-horizontalaperture forre'b position perpendicular to the silo wall against n.s on's spaoedlaterally froinfsaid'ap twisting of the fitting aboiit a of the bodyirinotejfroni" the a normal operation .a side of saidfitting body remote from the silo door, said plate havinga cam face on the end a of the plate adjacent the aperture therein and having a bearing against the circumferential tie plate when the rod is in normal completed doorfront rod retaining position.

4. In a silo structure, a door fitting comprising a body having a horizontal aperture 'for reception of a circumferential tie rod, a relatively flat contacting portion for theoutside 'wall of the silo and a sideopening horizontal recess .on the body having its axis spaced laterally from and parallel to the horizontal aperture, for reception section, and V a horizontal extension arm, from said body having al'ug thereon vengageablewith the'upper surface of the tie rod.

9. Foruse in a silo, a fitting comprising abody with a horizontal aperture therethrough for re- ,cepti on of a circumferential tie, rod, said body having a recess formed therein below and sub% stantially. parallel to said aperture, opening-upwardly and outwardly to receive a removable rod section, a horizontal extension arm frornsaid body having a lugthereon engagablewith the upper surface of the'tie rod, and a secondarm, extending horizontally from said body in a direction opposite to said. firstiarm, and having a lug thereon engageable withthe lower surface of the removable rod.

10. For use in a door fitting comprising aflbody with'a horizontal opening therethroughlfor reception of a circum- 5. In a silo structure, a. door fitting compris- 7 'ing a body having a horizontal aperture for reception of a circumferential tie rod, a relatively flat contacting portion for the outsidewall of the silo and securing means for attaching the body to the silo, an extension on the body overlying the silo wall and an upward side opening horizontal recess on the extension having its axis spaced vertically from and parallel to the horizontal aperture, for reception of asilo door front rod, a plate having a hole therein for reception of Y the door front rod, said plate having a normal operative position perpendicular to the silo wall against a side of said body remote from the silo door, said plate having a notch at one end adapted to fit over the circumferential tie rod during an initial door opening or closingoperation, anda cam face on said platefadjacent the recess therein having a bearing against the circumferential tie rod when the rod is in normal completed door retaining position, and a finger at thelower end of said plate adapted to bear against the silo wall said plate having a hand aperture adjacent the finger.

6. In a silo structure,

parallel to and spaced from said aperture, a 'flat end rface on said body intersecting said aperiture'and said recess, andan arm extending from said body beyond said end face, carrying'a lug engageable with said tie rod at a point spaced from said body and on the opposite side of said tie rod fromsaid recess.

'7. For use in a silo, a fitting comprising a body. with a horizontal aperture therethrough for reception of a circumferential tie rod, said body having a recess formed therein below and substantially parallel to said aperture, opening upwardly and outwardly toreceive a removable rod section, said body also having a flat face formed ferential tie rod, and with a slot therein adapted to receive a door-front rod, and a lockingiplate adapted to be mounted on a door-frontrod, said plate having a notch formed in one end thereof, adapted toengage the, circumferential tie rod adjacent the fitting body, during an initial lock:-

ing movement in which the plate pivots about thetie rodto serve asa leverior forcing the door-front rod into .the slot. I

11. For use in afsilo, a fitting comprising-a body with a horizontal aperture therethrough for reception of a circumferential tie rod, said body having a slot formed therein substantially parallel to said aperture, opening upwardly and v V a-door fitting comprising a body having an'aperture for reception'of a circumferential tie rod and an elongated recess outwardly to receivea removable rod section, and a locking member having a hole therein through which the removable rodfe'xtends, said plate having a notchformed in one end thereof, adapted to engage the circumferential tie rod and pivot thereon when the plate is used as a lever to force the removable rod into said slot, and a cam face on the end of said locking member ad jacent the notch, said cam face beingarranged to bear upon said tie rod when said member is swung to its extreme locking position.

12. A silo hoop fitting comprising a body having. a horizontal aperture therethrough for reception of a circumferential tie rod, a relatively flat contacting portion for the'outside wall of the silo, and arecess formed below and substantially parallel to the aperture, opening upwardly and outWardly-to'receive a removable rod section, said body also having a flat face formed thereon, substantiallyperpendicular to the axes of said rods, intersecting'said aperture and said recess and continued past the plane of said flat contacting portion to form a vertically extending flange engageable with a vertical slot in a side wall member ofthe silo. F

13. A silohoop fitting comprising a body with an aperture extending horizontally therethrough for reception of a tension rod, said aperture being formed in said body as a channel, open on the side toward the silo, with members bridging said channel adjacent the ends of said aperture and adapted to bear on the outer surface of the silo, a boss on said body offset from said aperture and adapted to receive a second tensionrod, and 'avertical flange on the side of saidbody alijacent the silo, constituting an extension of one of said bridging members and adapted to fit in a groove in the silo 'wall to position said fitting. FRANK J'.,VAN COT'I,-

LEON J. VAN COTT.

a silo having removable doors, I 

